Technology in Education

2. • Article Summary: Why Wikis?
• Article Summary Continued: Why Wikis?
• Reflection: Why Wikis?
• Article Summary: Virginia Launches ITunes U Portal
• Article Summary Continued: Virginia Launches ITunes U Portal
• Reflection: Virginia Launches ITunes U Portal
• Article Summary: Future Perspective
• Article Summary Continued: Future Perspective
• Reflection: Future Perspective
• Conclusion

3. In the article “Why Wikis?” Author Ruth
Reynard, Ph. D explains why wikis prove to be so very
beneficial in an educational setting. Dr. Reynard
believes that wikis are quick and efficient which is
crucial in a school setting. Also, it is believed that the
“Wiki tool can help develop processes such as
Constructivism”, which many people consider an
important part of the education system.

4. As well as informative, wikis promote
participation by all members of the classroom when
used in an educational setting too. With all members of
the class involved a collective collaboration can increase
how much an individual can learn because not as many
students are lost or inattentive to the lesson. This said,
students as a class can achieve classroom goals quicker
than in a traditional setting.
Reynard, Ph.D, Ruth. (Apr. 2009). Ebscohost. IUPUI University Library,
Indianapolis. 18 Apr. 2009. Keyword: Technology. Why Wikis?

5. I found this article to be very interesting. As a
whole I have created man Wikis in my educational career.
I believe that wikis are beneficial when working with a
large class. Through personal experience I have found
that wikis provide a student with numerous examples of
people’s work because you can see all of your classmates
wiki pages. This gives you an opportunity to revise and
add additional information to your own wiki. I believes
this correlates with the Constructivist idea in the article
too, you build a better understanding of the project you
are working on as well as the wiki itself.

6. The commonwealth of Virginia has developed a
program via ITunes, a popular online database that
allows for people to stream videos, music, and movies
among other information. This program will allow for
students in Virginia to “access free content from
universities, colleges, and K-12 institutions”, any time
day or night. With this program students can log on
and find help and information on a variety of subjects.

7. “The portal, according to information released by the
Virginia Department of Education, is part of a larger effort
to quot;harness the power of digital media and mobile devices
to expand and supplement classroom-based education.“”
In addition to students benefiting from this program
teachers can benefit too. Lesson plans and other materials
are available in a wide variety of subjects to help teachers
provide differentiation in the classroom.
Nagel, Dave. T.H.E Journal (2009). T.H.E Jounal. (Apr. 2009) 17 Apr. 2009 Virginia
Launches K-12 ITunes U Portal, from http://www.thejournal.com

8. This article was very informative. I had no idea
that school corporations would ever think about
incorporating ITunes into the school curriculum. Many
people especially kids have an ITunes account that
they use at home already. Incorporating this into an
educational setting that kids are already familiar with
will make the learning transition easier for both
students and teachers alike. ITunes never ceases to
amaze me!

9. “Technology is on the verge of fundamentally
reshaping the American education system.”
This article describes how technology has
shaped and molded education. The author
believes that “learning by doing” has been the
driving force behind technological advances in
the educational realm creating a “tremendous
change for everyone in the education system”.

10. Along with shaping the educational system,
future perspectives of technology are said to replace
teachers. With this said, the article stresses that
teachers will still play a vital role in educating students
but will focus on interpersonal relationships and
communication. Overall, technology in the classroom
is very beneficial and has greatly advanced in the 21st
Century here in the United States.
Schank, Roger C. T.H.E Journal (2009). T.H.E Jounal. (Mar. 2009) 17 Apr. 2009
FUTUREPERSPECTIVE - A Vision of Education for the 21st Century, from
http://www.thejournal.com

11. I was very impressed with this article. However, I
did not agree with the idea of teachers being fully
replaced by teachers. I believe that teachers will continue
to play a vital role in the education system. There are
some things like communication and interpersonal
relationships like the article mentioned that cannot be
taught via computers. Also, I believe that reinforcement
by teachers using computers and there technology keeps
a student on task and focused. Without a teacher
students would be free to roam around the building all
day!

12. To sum up, I believe that all of these articles
are enthusiastic about the use of technology in the
classroom. All three articles showcase how
important technology is in the educational system.
More importantly, each expresses how using
technology in the classroom promotes more class
participation which can never be a bad thing as far
as a teacher is concerned.